


Final Fantasy: A Retelling - Side Stories

by niya



Series: Final Fantasy: A Retelling [2]
Category: Final Fantasy I
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-06
Updated: 2014-05-06
Packaged: 2018-01-22 02:11:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1572239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niya/pseuds/niya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A thief and a black mage enter a pub...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fate

_This side story happens around the time of "Elfland" (Chapter 5) in the main story._

Fate. It’s such a small word with such a heavy meaning.

When I was young, I don’t know if I really believe in fate.

Of course we would hear about fated lovers, or our parents talking about how fate had led them to this or the other, but I wonder if they truly felt that they were destined for their path.

It’s not that I think myself better than they, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that there were basically two times, in general, when fate was discussed around me. The first was in matters of the heart, be it falling in love and the pair being ‘fated’ for one another, or in times of trouble or distress, asking why fate had delivered them such a trial.

I wonder what I would have said, back then, if you had told me that I would be fated to travel the world, to battle ferocious beasts, terrifying monsters, and place my very life in the hands of strangers, and theirs in mine, because we four found ourselves in possession of darkened crystals that, legend has it, are the key to restoring peace to the world.

"Lukahn’s Prophecy", they say.

"The Warrior’s of Light", they call us.

It sounds almost laughable. I might have even thought that, surely, it is merely an old story passed down for when times were particularly difficult.

And yet here I am, with this darked crystal in my satchel, seated around a camp fire beside the Aldean Sea, the kings of both Cornelia and Elfland having told me these things. Called me a “Light Warrior”.

Today I find myself hoping that this is fate, because, if the world’s peace truly rested on my shoulders without any divine providence, I’d surely feel myself crushed by the weight of it all.


	2. Chapter 2

_This story happens concurrently with "Crescent Lake Day II" (Chapter 28) of the main story (Final Fantasy: A Retelling). Being familiar with the characters from there is rather important, I feel, as the character development that takes place here would otherwise be confusing._

It was early evening in Crescent Lake when Rhys and Ziv left for the pub. Leo wanted to meet with the guards to see if he couldn't refine his technique, and Maryl had gone to meet with one of the sages, they expected.

The pub was rather quiet as there weren't a tremendous amount of people there, the night being as young as it was.

After a few pints, Rhys turned to Ziv and thought how curious it was that he, this common thief, was sitting beside a black mage, sharing ale. Not only that, but he didn't even think about the power he wielded most of the time, never worried that he might turn on them any longer.

He smiled as he wondered if the stories he'd heard were simple exaggerations.

Ziv smiled back and asked, "What's so amusing?"

Rhys let out a small chuckle. "Oh, I was just thinking how crazy it is, what we're doing that is."

Ziv nodded. "It's already been quite an experience, hasn't it? I hardly even sleep with one eye open to keep watch on you any longer," he said with a wink.

"What? I'm not a common thief! I'm a treasure hunter!" he replied in mock anger.

"Of course," Ziv replied "My mistake, master Rhys."

The two chuckled briefly, before Rhys spoke up.

"H-how did you come by your Crystal Orb?" Rhys asked.

"Ah, well, our academy had come into possession of the Crystal Orb of Fire quite some time ago. Well over a hundred years ago, if the stories are to be believed. A number of scholars had studied it over the years, but no one could figure out why it was so... dark."

Ziv smiled and gestured to the other. "You know what I mean, as you had your own. It's not nearly dark, as if made of something like obsidian, it's as if it somehow radiates darkness. And it rather does, we found. If we place it in a well lit room, the area all around the crystal will be in shadow, even though there is plenty of light shining upon it."

He shrugged. "Shortly before I began my journey, I started having these dreams, about the crystal, Mount Gulug, and three mysterious figures, which turned out to be you and the others," he said as he again gestured toward the thief.

"I told the others of the visions, and explained that I'd be taking the Crystal Orb to Cornelia in hopes of better understanding what I was seeing, and, perhaps, being able to finally grasp the mystery behind this."

"You just... took it?" Rhys asked.

Ziv nodded. "My family has run the academy for generations, and I'm the current head."

"Y-you were the head of an academy?"

Ziv nodded. "Schwar Mangus Academy."

Rhys nearly spit his ale out. "You run Schwar Manug?!"

"I oversee it, to be more precise. It's part of my family's estate."

"You have an estate?!"

Ziv laughed. "It's just a fancy word, really. Nowadays many of the buildings are used as dormitories and laboratories. Ah, and the largest of the mansions is primarily a library now."

Rhys didn't, or perhaps couldn't reply.

"What about you, Rhys? How did you come to have possession of the Crystal Orb of Earth?"

"I... I'm not sure I should say," he replied.

Ziv smirked. "You stole it, didn't you?"

Rhys nodded.

"And then the vision started. The nightmares?"

Again, Rhys nodded.

Ziv laughed. "More than you bargained for, wasn't it?" He paused and asked, "Why did you take it?"

Rhys shrugged. "I'd broken into this wealthy merchant's home. I just wanted to get some gil, you know? Get in, get out. He'd certainly know he'd been robbed, but gil is gil. There'd be no way they could track it back to me, particularly since I was leaving town the next morning anyway. Everyone knew, so it wouldn't arise suspicion. It was the perfect crime."

Ziv nodded and sat back in his chair.

"But when I looked up on the mantel, above the fireplace, there it was. The Crystal Orb of Earth. 'Course I didn't know it at the time, and it was dark in the room so I figured it was Onyx or something."

"I reminded myself, even then, only take the gil, but I couldn't look away from it. It was like it was calling out to me."

Rhys shook his head. "Next thing I knew I was rushing out of the house with only this in my bag, having forgotten about the gil entirely."

"Honestly, when the nightmares and visions started, and they started the very next night, I wanted to meet with you all just to give you this thing and get it out of my life."

"But you stayed."

Rhys nodded. "I wanted to get rid of it," he insisted. "But every time I tried to shove it into Leo's hands, I... couldn't."

Ziv smiled. "Well, what do you think now?"

"Honestly, Ziv," he said with a pause. "I wonder sometimes if it was a mistake."

"A mistake?"

"Stealing the crystal."

"Why would you think that?"

"At first it seemed like it might have been a great prize. That's what I was thinking when I picked it up, you know?" he insisted. "But then we've been on this adventure, and, in that room, with the altar? You know? That light. It... I don't know. I wondered if I was really the right person for this."

Ziv smiled and nodded, his arms crossed. He looked like a father, or a wise teacher asking a student what they'd learned.

The awkward silence hung in the air for a few moments before Ziv replied, "If you weren't the right person, you would have given Leo your Crystal Orb back in Cornelia."

Rhys looked like he was going to say something more, but Ziv interrupted him. "Let's get another round of ales, and maybe invite those two over to our table," as he looked across the pub.

The thief turned and laughed as he looked back to Ziv. "I didn't know you were into that."

"Everyone's into that!" he insisted.

"I'm not sure," Rhys said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Even Leo? Or little Maryl?"

"Bah! One in two Warriors of Light," he replied motioning between the two of them before they both laughed.

"Fine fine, but I get the one on the left."

Ziv shrugged. "I thought we could share."

Rhys laughed genuinely. "You really surprise me sometimes."

"Good," he said. "Keeps things interesting."

_The more I write, the more I learn about them. Today I suddenly understood the backgrounds of all four members, and how varied they are, which is in part why I wanted to write these “side stories”, since the “main story” is told from Maryl’s perspective, and, despite their opening up to one another, Rhys isn’t ready to admit to her what he was before he joined them, lest she think less of him._


End file.
